Nigeria School Fair Stampede Kills 35 Children

This aerial photo shows a basic view of the city of Ibadan in southwestern Nigeria, where the incident occurred

A stampede at a school funfair in the southwestern Nigerian city of Ibadan has eliminated 35 children and seriously hurt six others, authorities stated on Thursday.

The hurt children were getting medical attention following the event, which took place on Wednesday in Nigeria’s third-largest city, Oyo State Police Command stated.

“8 persons have actually since been arrested for their different involvements”, police spokesperson Adewale Osifeso stated in a statement.

Among those apprehended was the main sponsor of the occasion at the Basorun Islamic High School, which was arranged by the Wings Foundation and Agidigbo FM radio.

The Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department has opened a probe, Osifeso included.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in a declaration “revealed profound unhappiness over the terrible event”.

He offered his “wholehearted condolences” to locals, state authorities and the “grieving households who have actually lost their cherished children”.

He urged the “Oyo State government to take every needed step to prevent such a disaster from repeating”, the declaration by the presidency added.

“Among the essential actions are a detailed evaluation of all public occasions’ security procedures, rigorous enforcement of security policies, and regular safety audits of occasion locations,” Tinubu added.

– ‘Rest in peace’ –

Nigeria has seen numerous lethal stampedes in recent months.

In March, 2 students died and 23 were injured after being squashed as thousands gathered free of charge bags of rice distributed by local authorities at Nasarawa State University, in main Nigeria.

Later that month, another stampede killed 4 females who had actually been waiting outside the workplace of a wealthy entrepreneur in the of Bauchi to collect 5,000 naira ($3.40) cash presents to help pay for food during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said members of the crowd pushed to acquire the cash, causing a stampede, as Nigeria came to grips with its worst recession in a generation.

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde had shared his condolences for the Ibadan victims on X on Wednesday.

“Our hearts remain with the households and loved ones affected by this tragedy. May the souls of the left rest in peace,” Makinde stated.

“We sympathise with the parents whose happiness has suddenly been turned to grieving due to these deaths,” he included.